The Talk
by Discreet Kitty
Summary: Set in S6 E10. After Rick notices the mutual attraction between Carl and Enid, Rick elicits advice from his housemates about giving Carl "the talk."


**Disclaimer: I do not own Walking Dead. If I did, I would have shown who Neagan killed in S6 finale.**

Rick sat in a rocking chair on his front porch, cradling Judith in his arms. He stared at his little girl's brown eyes before flashing a smile at her. Rick had to admit that Shane and Lori had made a beautiful little girl. The first time he gazed into her dark eyes, he knew that his blue eyes and Lori's light brown eyes couldn't have produced a child with such dark eyes. Shane was the one with the dark brown eyes. Rick tried to tell himself that those weren't good enough reasons to say that he wasn't Judith's biological father. Sometimes he compared Judith's eyes to Carl's blue eyes. Carl had inherited a darker version of Rick's blue eyes.

When he thought about Carl's eye color, he couldn't help but think about his missing eye. It was awful the way Ron had shot Carl's eye out. Rick tried not to think about seeing his son's bloody eye socket or hearing the sound of Carl uttering the word "Dad." He looked down at Judith to try to forget about Carl's eye. She snuggled up against his chest and closed her eyes as the setting sun shined in her face. The sun reminded Rick that he hadn't seen Carl since breakfast. The boy probably spent the day wandering around with Enid.

It was obvious to Rick that the two were growing closer. At first, it didn't seem like a big deal that Carl found someone to love. Carl deserved to have a companion that helped him see the world a shade brighter through his remaining eye. Enid already had given him a reason to get out of bed. Rick remembered the way Enid had sat at Carl's bedside when Carl was recovering. She kept his spirit up and that helped him recover quickly. Now the relationship was becoming dangerous. Rick could see the lust in his son's only eye when he looked at Enid. Rick recognized Enid's affection for Carl whenever she smiled at him. The two teenagers had too much time on their times on hands. That worried Rick. He could just see the two cuddling up in a small corner of Alexandria - in one of the supply closets, in one of the vacant houses, or possibly in Carl's room. There weren't any contraception available and that increased the risk of Enid getting pregnant.

Rick's mind broke away from his thoughts when Daryl walked onto to porch. The two exchange a head nod as Daryl took a seat on the other chair of the porch. Rick was surprised that Daryl had decided to sit with him. He usually went straight in his room in the attic when he came home.

"I''m thinking 'bout having the talk with Carrrrollll," Rick said in his usual slow manner.

"You haven't yet?" Daryl asked.

"Didn't have the time before," he answered.

Rick's answer was partially true. He could have made the time to sit his son down to give him the old-age talk about the birds and the bees. Rick didn't have a reason to have that conversation with his son. Carl was never in a situation where he had unlimited and unsupervised time with a girl. He was too young to engage in any type of sexual acts when they were in the prison. The only girl that was around his age was Lizzie and it was obvious to everyone that Carl didn't even like being around the little zombie lover.

"He's got a girl now," Daryl began. "Better do it quick."

Rick tried to imagine what Carl thought about Enid. She was a pretty girl with long brown hair, large eyes, and a face that was too adorably unique to forget. Rick hadn't spent much time with Enid but she seemed like a nice girl. She was quiet most of the time and she always looked like she was thinking about something that made her sad. Rick imagined that Carl felt the need to protect and comfort her. Carl wanted to feel like a man and Enid probably made him feel that way.

"What should I say?" Rick asked.

He wasn't sure how he should approach the subject. Rick didn't want Carl to think he didn't want him to be with Enid. He just didn't want Enid to get pregnant. As Rick held his baby in his arms, the last thing he wanted was to have another baby in the Grimes family.

"I don't know," Daryl said with a sighed. "Do you wanna tell him not to have-"

"I'm not sure if it's worth telling him that," Rick answered honestly. "When he makes his mind up 'bout something, there's nothing I can say that will change it."

The more Rick thought about it, the more he realized that the two were going to "do it". Copulating was the way that two people comforted each other. Although everything had been fine in the past two months, he knew that something was going to happen. Someone was going to be killed by a zombie or another person. They would eventually have to leave Alexandria one day. Nothing was stable or consistent anymore. Nothing was promised. People just wanted to forget about the world for a second. They wanted to feel something other than fear or sadness. Wasn't making love the best way to that?

Rick wondered if they had already fornicated. During the day, the only person who was in the house was Carol. She was usually in the kitchen cooking or cleaning up after everyone. Would she hear if Carl snuck Enid up to his room? What if Carl went to Enid's house? Where did she live and who did she live with? The only thing the sheriff knew was that there were two hormonal teenagers roaming around Alexandria. Two resourceful teenagers who learned how to be quiet by living in the zombie apocalypse. There wasn't too much he could do to prevent them from getting under the sheets together.

The two sat in silence for a moment until Daryl chuckled.

"What is it?" Rick asked.

"Have Abraham to give 'em the talk," Daryl said.

Rick laughed as he tried to imagine what Abraham would say. Rick imagined Abraham stomping over to Carl, grabbing the boy by his collar and sitting him down on a tree stump. He knew that Carl would be staring at the red-haired soldier, trying to figure out if he lost his mind. The sheriff pictured Carl slowly reaching for his brown pouch, resting his hand on his pistol. He could see the intensity in his dark blue eyes. His son was ready to react.

"Listen to me boy," Abraham would say while sitting a nearby stump. "Did your daddy ever tell you about bending her over the barrel and showing her the fifty states?"

He knew that Abraham would pause when he saw how confused Carl would be.

"Damn son," he continued. "This is just carnal knowledge."

Rick imagined Abraham sighing and looking off at something.

"Sweet fucking Jesus of Mary Magdalena. The boy has no idea what dipping the wick is?"

Abraham would turn his attention back to Carl. He placed his hands on the knee of his army colored jeans, impatiently tapping his finger as he tried to get into Carl's head. Rick knew that Abraham's colorful language was such a strong part of his vocabulary that it would be hard for him to say exactly what he meant. It wasn't like Abrahan couldn't speak plain English. It was more like he didn't like to. That was the difference between Carl and Abraham. The boy was so straight-forward that he would never use metaphors to express himself.

"I'm talking 'bout hanging twenty toes."

When Abraham realized that Carl didn't understand the reference, he decided to use another one.

"Jiffy- stiffing?"

"Jif's peanut butter?" Carl asked.

Rick could hear the silence between the two males. He could see Carl narrow his eye and tilt his head at the red-head. Rick knew that Abraham would be massaging his temples. Abraham would sigh and grunt for a few seconds before continuing the conversation.

"Hanky-panky?" Abraham asked as if that was the most literal phrase that he could come up with. Abraham nodded when Carl's eye widened. "I guess you do know something. Now let me tell you, boy. When you're slipping someone the banana, there ain't no rubber gloves to keep you from popping your weasel. You understand what I'm saying?"

Carl nodded while slowly scooting away from Abraham.

"Good," Abraham began again."Now unless you want her to be eating for two, you have to put your nizzle-drizzle somewhere else. You understand?"

Carl nodded.

"Good."

Rick chuckled at thought of Abraham giving Carl the talk. He turned his attention back to Daryl, who was waiting for him to respond.

"Probably not a good idea,"Rick said. "I'll figure somethin' out."

"You do that," Daryl said as he stood up.

Rick nodded as Daryl walked into the house. The evening breeze made goose bumps appear on his skin. He wrapped his arms around his daughter to keep her warm while he enjoyed feeling the coolness against his skin. It was nice to be able to sit on his front porch and think about something that every parent thought about. He never thought that they would be alive long enough to even get to have a moment like this. This moment was special to Rick because it reminded him that they weren't just surviving. They were living.

Rick's mind wandered as the sky began to darken. The last time he had any adult time was when Lori was still alive. Rick was so focused on surviving that he didn't even think about how much of a luxury physical intimacy was. He wished he had someone to cuddle up with at night. Before Jessie was killed, he thought that she was going to be his next girl. Now that she was gone, he wasn't sure if he was meant to have another fling. There was Michonne but he wasn't sure. Sometimes he felt that there was a romantic connection between them and sometimes he felt like they were just family. The two had gotten closer over the past two months but Rick wasn't sure if Michonne wanted something like that.

Rick had to think about Carl first. He thought about sitting both Carl and Enid down at the same time. He didn't want Carl to feel embarrassed. There was a possibility that they were just taken things slow. Carl never mentioned that Enid was his girlfriend. Still, it didn't manner if they made things official or not. People slept together all the time without being in a relationship. Sometimes people began relationships after spending the night together. All Rick knew was that he needed to have "the talk" with his son.

When Rick walked back into the house, he spotted Michonne sitting in the living room. She was still wearing her uniform as she lounged on the couch. Rick walked over to her with Judith still in his arms. Michonne reached her arms out and Rick handed her the baby. He sat next to her as she rocked Judith in her arms.

"I need to have "the talk" with Carl," he begun. Michonne stared at him for a second and waited for him to continue. "I don't know what to say."

Rick could see that Michonne was trying to think about how to respond. Michonne was the best person for Rick to get advice from. She loved Carl as if he was her son. She looked after him and she knew him better than anyone. Rick knew that Michonne wouldn't want Carl having relations at his age. She was probably one of the only members of the group that still seen him as a child.

"Tell him that it's too much of a risk," she began.

"That's it?" Rick asked.

"He understands risk," she explained. "He doesn't take risks."

"Carl is having sex?" Carol asked from the kitchen.

The gray-haired woman came into the living room just as stove's timer went off. She ignored it and walked over to Rick and Michonne. She raised her eyebrows as she looked over at Rick. It was obvious that she loved Carl and cared about him. She was one of the members of the group that knew him the longest.

Rick knew that she'll consider what Lori would have wanted for Carol. It surprised Rick that he didn't even think about what his late wife wanted for their son. He tried to imagine what she would tell Carl. Rick knew that Lori would be happy that their son found a girl to like. He knew that Lori would have approved of Enid and welcome her with open arms into their home. She would pity the little orphan and try to mother her. Lori wouldn't want her son to make the mistake of knocking up Enid. Rick knew that Lori would advise Carl to wait to have sex until he was old enough handle the responsibilities that came with that.

"He's too young and he'll get her pregnant," Carol said. "We don't need any more babies around here. It's already enough Maggie's pregnant."

"I agree," Michonne said.

"That's my concern," Rick said.

As Carol walked back into the kitchen, Rick heard the front door swing open. He knew that it was Carl since everyone else was already home. He could hear the click of his cowboy boots walk up the staircase. As he listened to Carl's footsteps, Michonne urged the sheriff to go talk to him. Rick knew that he might not get the chance later if he didn't do it now. What if he had planned to sneak out and have a little rendezvous with Enid later? Rick knew that the right thing to do was go and talk to him.

Rick left the living room and walked over to the staircase. His heart beat fast against his chest as he walked up the steps. Rick couldn't believe how difficult this was for him. He could kill a herd of zombies with a single ax, lead a team into battle, and kill a man by biting his neck. For some reason, he had a hard time telling his son that he shouldn't have relations.

He knocked on Carl's door and his son invited him into the room. Carl studied his father's face and must have noticed that he looked worried.

"Is everything okay?" Carl asked.

"Everything's fine," he said as he closed the door. "It's so fine that I had time to think about you and Enid."

Carl stared at him for a second before saying, "What about us?"

"It's too much of a risk for you and her to have sex," Rick said.

"We weren't," Carl started. "I mean ... were aren't even. We're just friends."

"Maybe just friends now," Rick said. He laid a hand on Carl's shoulder. "I want you to be happy but I don't want you to make a mistake."

"I understand," Carl said.

Rick nodded at Carl and left his room. He was relieved that he finally told him what had been on his mind. As he walked down the steps, he thought about how Carl told him that he and Enid were just friends. That could easily change at any moment. He knew in his heart that he made the right decision to talk to him tonight. Rick trusted that Carl would make the right decision when the time came. He was too smart to allow his hormones to get the best of him.


End file.
